Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

By Pat_B - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

"Yonder Stands Your Orphan" ain't no literary classic.

I'm 3/4 of the way through Barry Hannah's "Yonder Stands Your Orphan." There are small sparkly bits and scenes that make me happy -- reflections on the art of poetry, etc., disguised as one of his character's reminiscences, the occasional swipe at prominent actors or one of the giants of literature.... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:19 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I'm innocent! I don't care what your wiretaps say.

Rod Blagojevich, former Gov. of Illinois, on trial and charged with trying to get a high-paying job or a cabinet seat in exchange for appointing the right candidate to the senate seat held by President Barack Obama before he was elected president. I'm innocent, he says on national TV, on CNN, on The... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:46 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, July 19, 2010

There's a reason I missed blogging this morning.

And all yesterday afternoon. Lightning hit the line at the house. The TV went out in the living room, but the one in the bedroom worked. The computer was off, but the ceiling fan continued to spin above it. Kitchen appliances on. I called the power co. They had a list of power outages as long as... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:25 PM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Let's quit the kid stuff. I want more shows like "Hot in Cleveland."

To be honest, the thing that pisses me off the most about the under 30 set is that they can eat whatever crap they want, salt, sugar, potato chips, Big Macs, pizza, deep fried Twinkies. Their arteries apparently stay clear, their lungs and hearts keep working just fine. They can stay up all night... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:11 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Scary Mary...Cautious Carrie

It's been a creepy crawly summer so far. Bugs, slithery things. We upright two-leggeds may not be motating on all 8 cylinders in this blithey blasty summer, but the six, eight and hundred-leggers are doing just fine. So are the hoppers, the flyers, and the nibbling blood-suckers. And the vines! I... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:29 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, July 16, 2010

This is your brain on "heat" -- from drive to neutral

Yesterday's blog was about the heat -- the discomfort of it, the unrelenting meanness of it, the sweltering and its impact on temper and mood. Today's is about the danger of it. Yesterday I wrote from the relative cool of my office. I was feeling good as a writer, in one of those up cycles where the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:48 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Hot! Hot! Hot!

We're under a heat warning here in the heart of the heartland: 6 o'clock this morning the actual temp is 83, but it feels like 95. Humid: it's deep south, African jungle sweltering out there, and the sun's not even up over the tree line yet. Yesterday when I went out to water my tomato in the big... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:02 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

About Barry Hannah & making up for lost time

Sunday afternoon is library time for me -- get out the snacks, turn on the coffee machine, straighten the shelves, chat with patrons. And last Sunday I went looking in the official section for something by Barry Hannah. There it was! Yonder Stands Your Orphan. The cover is a muted grayish black and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:26 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

What's the world coming to?

Night before last there were eleven shootings in one 8-hour police shift in the St. Louis area. In Kansas (?) a woman and her boyfriend kidnapped her young son at gunpoint from his father, who'd just been awarded full custody. Social workers didn't think she used good judgment. Hours later as police... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:29 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, July 10, 2010

New poem inspired by the Barry Hannah quote

Attending To Voices Not My Own It happens sometimes during a gathering where salient points are being made by wiser fellows than I; fundamental pro and con, although none leaves the faintest trace of an impression on my mind. Maybe they’re lamenting how the oil company has flooded the Gulf of Mexico... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:46 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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Sometimes you have to write it down in order to learn what you really think about life, what it means, how to do what's best. Sometimes you need feedback from someone else to put things in perspective.

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